pennyspoetryfandomcom-20200214-history
C.J. Dennis
Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis (7 September 1876 - 22 June 1938) was an Australian poet, best known for his humorous dialect verse, especially The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. Life Youth Dennis was born in Auburn, South Australia. His father owned hotels in Auburn, and then later in Gladstone and Laura, South Australia. His mother suffered ill health, so Clarrie (as he was known) was raised initially by his great-aunts, then went away to school, (Christian Brothers College, Adelaide) as a teenager.Australian Dictionary of Biography - Dennis, Clarence Michael James (1876 - 1938) Career At the age of 19 Dennis was employed as a solicitor's clerk. It was while he was working in this job that (like banker's clerk Banjo Paterson before him) his earliest poem was published. He went on to publish in The Bulletin, as Paterson and Henry Lawson had also done. The 3 are often considered Australia's 3 most famous poets Dennis's 1916 publication of The Sentimental Bloke sold 65,000 copies in its 1st year, and by 1917 he was the most prosperous poet in Australian history. Writing The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke and numerous spin-offs published subsequently related the everyday adventures of the title character Bill, his girl Doreen, his friend Ginger Mick, and other characters. The poems are written in dialect, and present the Sentimental Bloke as a typical larrikin. :This ev'nin' I was sittin' wiv Doreen, :Peaceful an' 'appy wiv the day's work done, :Watchin', be'ind the orchard's bonzer green, :The flamin' wonder of the settin' sun. :Another day gone by; another night :Creepin' along to douse Day's golden light; :Another dawning when the night is gone, :To live an' love--an' so life mooches on. :(from "The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke") Recognition After Dennis's death at the age of 61, Joseph Lyons, then Prime Minister of Australia, said of him: "I am sure that I speak for all Australians in expressing deep regret at the death of C.J.Dennis. He was the Robert Burns of Australia. He created characters which have become immortal and he captured the true Australian spirit. Already his work is world-famous, and future generations will treasure it."Brief Biography, C.J. Dennis, Australian Authors, Middlemiss.org, Web, Mar. 4, 2012. Dennis is buried in Box Hill Cemetery, Melbourne. The Box Hill Historical Society have attached a commemorative plaque to the gravestone. Dennis is also commemorated with a plaque on Circular Quay in Sydney which forms part of the NSW Ministry for the Arts - Writers Walk series,Matilda - Australian Literary Monuments #18 and by a bust outside the town hall of the town of Laura.Matilda - Australian Literary Monuments #3 The Sentimental Bloke was adapted as a stage play, a silent film of the same name, a sound film, and a musical over the following decades. In 1983, Australia Post featured the Sentimental Bloke on a series of stamps.Matilda - Australian Literary Monuments #6 The C.J. Dennis Prize for Poetry is presented annually by the Premier of Victoria as a part of the annual Victorian Premier's Literary Award ceremony.CJ Dennis Prize for Poetry, Programs and Events, State Library of Victoria, Vic.gov.au, Web, Mar. 6, 2012. Publications Poetry * Backblock Ballads, and other verses. Melbourne: E.W. Cole, 1913. * The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1916. * The Moods of Ginger Mick. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1916. * The Glugs of Gosh. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1917. * Doreen. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1917. * Digger Smith. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1918. * Backblock Ballads, and later verses ''(illustrated by Hal Gye). Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1918. * ''Jim of the Hills: A story in rhyme. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1919. * Rose of Spadgers: A sequel to “Ginger Mick”. Sydney: Cornstalk Publishing, 1924. * The Singing Garden. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1935. ;Posthumous * Selected Verse of C.J. Dennis (chosen by Alec H. Chisholm). Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1950. * Random Verses (edited by Margaret Herron). 1952. * Pickering's Salute to the Sentimental Bloke (illustrated by Larry Pickering). Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1978. * The C.J. Dennis Collection (edited by Garrie Hutchinson). Child & Associates, 1987. * Selected Works of C.J. Dennis (introduced by Barry Watts; illustrated by Hal Gye). 1988. * Favourite Poems of C.J. Dennis (illustrated by Brendan Akhurst. Child and Associates, 1989. * More than a Sentimental Bloke: A performance (John Derum as C.J. Dennis). University of New South Wales, 1990. Juvenile * A Book for Kids. Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1921. **reissued as Roundabout, 1935. **abridged as Merry-Go-Round: Fun for Kids (illustrated by Lee Whitmore). Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1975. * The Triantiwontigongolope, and other funny poems (illustrated by Patricia Mullins). Macmillan, 1989. *''Hist!'' (illustrated by P.J. Gouldthorpe). Walter McVitty, 1991."Bibliography," C.J. Dennis, Australian Authors, Middlemiss.org, Web, Mar. 5, 2012. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy the Australian Poetry Library.C.J. Dennis (1876-1938), Australian Poetry Library, Web, Feb. 14, 2012. Poems by C.J. Dennis #The Baker See also * List of Australian poets References External links ;Poems * C.J. Dennis (1876-1938) in the Australian Poetry Library (98 poems). * Clarence Michael James Stanislaus Dennis at PoemHunter (722 poems). ;Books * *Works by C.J. Dennis at Project Gutenberg of Australia ;Audio / video *Jack Thompson reads poems by C.J. Dennis *C.J. Dennis at YouTube ;About *Dennis, Clarence Michael James (1876–1938) in the Australian Dictionary of Biography. *Australian Authors - C.J. Dennis *"The Dennis of the Early Days" by Randolph Bedford *[http://www.nla.gov.au/openpublish/index.php/jasal/article/view/451/882 Philip Butterss '"Your Vote is Wanted": C.J. Dennis at the Call]', JASAL 7 (2007)] Category:1876 births Category:1938 deaths Category:Australian humorists Category:Australian poets Category:People from South Australia Category:Jubilee 150 Walkway Category:Sentimental Bloke Category:20th-century poets Category:Poets Category:Humorous poets Category:English-language poets Category:Australian authors